All posts tagged Peter Nadas

Readers, who do you think will win the Nobel Prize in Literature this year? Leave your guesses in the comments below, or tweet them with the hashtag #NobelPick.

The eyes of the literary world are once again fixed on Stockholm as the Swedish Academy will announce the winner of the 2013 Nobel Prize in Literature on Thursday, one day prior to the Nobel’s most famous award – Peace – being handed out in Oslo.

Unlike the Man Booker prize, the Swedish Academy doesn’t put out a short list, making the pre-award speculation little more than fodder for chats at the water cooler. U.K. bookmaker Ladbrokes tags Haruki Murakami, the 64-year-old Japanese author known for “Norwegian Wood” and “IQ84,” as the front runner. He’s followed by Canadian short story writer Alice Munro, Belerusian journalist Svetlana Alexievich, U.S. author Joyce Carol Oates, Hungary’s Peter Nadas and Norwegian dramatist Jon Fosse on the list of Ladbrokes favorites.

The Nobel selection process – regardless of the prize – is known to be very secretive and tedious. In the case of Literature, names of nominees and other information about the process are not revealed until a half century after the award is given. But there are some details known, such as the timeline of how a winner is picked.

More than a year before the prize is given, invitation letters are sent to 600 to 700 individuals and organizations with a January 31 deadline for nomination submission. In April, a preliminary list of 15 to 20 names is established and then final candidates are chosen in May.

Committee members read the necessary texts during the summer months. By September, Academy members confer on the options and the winner is selected in early October, with the winning candidate needing to attract more than half the votes cast. Read More »

Two weeks ago, actress and singer Patti LuPone grabbed a cell phone out of the hand of an audience member who was texting during a performance of her current play, "Shows for Days." The bold move led to an outpouring of support from fans fed up with glowing screens. Ms. LuPone gives us her five rules of theater etiquette.